One of the greatest rivers in the world - the Nile - originates in Uganda and Ethiopia, carries its waters from south to north through the sands of the Sahara, forms a vast delta when it flows into the Mediterranean Sea. The mysterious appearance of a watercourse among the mountains and lakes of East Africa, its high water content have been the subjects of scientific disputes for a long time. Where is the source of the Nile River? Scholars have been arguing about this for 2,500 years, ever since Herodotus and Ptolemy.
Mystery of the Nile
Unlike the ancient Greek titans of scientific thought, modern researchers and tourists have the opportunity to go upstream to the very source. Only there are not one, but two, which still puzzles travelers. What river or brook is taken to be the source of the Nile River? She belongs to the second place in the world ranking of the longest watercourses.
Everything that concerns the sources, bed and mouth of the river, takes on a huge scale. Thus, the length from the source to the place where it flows into the sea is more than 6650 km. It is slightly less than the length of the Amazonin South America, to which the Nile concedes the palm.
Source of the Nile River
The place of origin of the watercourse is disputed by the African countries Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda. These states are washed by Lake Victoria, in its northern part the picturesque Ripon Falls rush down. Here, on the territory of Uganda, begins one of the two main tributaries - the White Nile.
Far to the northeast of these places, in Ethiopia, there is a small lake Tana, where the second source of the Nile River, the Blue Nile, is located. Two branches merge near the Egyptian city of Khartoum. Further, the river carries its waters strictly to the north - to the Mediterranean Sea.
The main source of the Nile - White or Blue tributaries?
Travellers of antiquity, arriving from the north - from Europe - could not go upstream to the source of the river. The turbulent current, the abundance of rapids and waterfalls, impenetrable evergreen forests made this task almost insoluble. The Egyptians deified the Nile, depicting it as a creature with a draped head - they did not know where the source was.
About 150 years ago, African explorers D. Livingston, D. Speke, R. Burton and journalist G. Stanley came closest to solving the centuries-old mystery. Since then, the length of the Nile has been measured from Lake Victoria. But large rivers flow into it, which can be considered the sources of the Nile.
A modern solution to the mystery of the source of the Nile
Scientists chose the beginning of the longestwatercourse - r. Rukarara. This sleeve Kagera begins south of the equator among the mountains of East Africa, lies at an altitude of over 2000 m. The entire river artery, the length of which is included in gazetteers and guidebooks, looks like a chain of watercourses of various sizes: Rukarara, where the source of the Nile is located, → r. Kagera → r. White Nile → r. Neil.
The total length of this river system reaches 6670 km. The catchment area reaches almost 3.5 million m2, covering parts of the territories of 9 countries. The indicator of 5600 km characterizes the length of the Nile from Lake. Victoria to the Mediterranean.
Nile is one of the 7 natural wonders of Africa
After joining the two branches - the White and Blue Nile - the river flows through the greatest desert in the world. The sands of the Sahara not only did not absorb the source and mouth of the Nile River over the past centuries, on the contrary, they come to life thanks to a constant stream. Even in the time of the pharaohs of Egypt, this fact amazed the population. Hopes for a rich rice harvest were pinned on the full-flowing Nile, and too strong floods of the river after heavy rains in the upper reaches promised famine for ordinary people.
The confluence of the Nile on the Mediterranean coast also surprises with its appearance and origin. For thousands of years, the river carries the smallest fragments of rocks from south to north. Sand and clay are deposited in the Nile Delta, increasing its area every year.
Nile river cruises
The popularity of water travel along the river is growing every year. Swimming has become muchsafer than in ancient times. The dams that blocked the channel created conditions for a more uniform flow. The water rose and hid many dangerous rapids. Unfortunately, the waterfalls have become lower, but their beauty and unusualness have hardly suffered from this.
Besides river cruising, there are more adventurous activities on the river - white water rafting, kayaking and downstream canoeing. Another entertainment near the beautiful waterfalls in Uganda is bungee jumping (jumping from a height with insurance). On the banks of the Victoria Nile, in the area of Cabarega Falls, there is a national park of the same name. Its inhabitants - African elephants, wildebeest, buffaloes, gazelles - more than 76 species of wild animals.
